VIDEO: Quick action saves City store from fire

A blaze threatened to completely destroy the Patel’s Store and neighbouring shops on High Street, The City today.

However, the quick actions of a passer-by allowed the fire to be contained to just one store.

According to the Barbados Fire Service, there were reports of smoke coming from a building at the top of High Street, which connects to Swan Street. Two fire tenders, along with 12 fire officers responded to the blaze just before 3pm and they were able to get the fire under control in about 30 minutes.

This was, in part, due to the actions of Jefferson Bovell, a brave Samaritan who took matters into his own hands to prevent the flames from engulfing the store.

Bovell, who has worked on the Roving Response team, told Loop News his “instincts kicked in” and he used a number of fire extinguishers on hand to tackle the blaze.

Store owner, Mohammed Patel said he has been operating out of the High Street location for the last 26 years and the fire is a major setback, as this is his main source of income.

He told Loop News he had decided to close the store early that day due to illness. He said he received a call informing him that "your place on fire" and he rushed back to the store.

Fire Officers said the store was not extensively damaged but sustained serious water and smoke damage. Members of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) were forced to cordon off the area between the top of Swan Street and the Palmetto Mall and Market while fire officers carried out assessments on the building.

For 2018 there were 24 fires reported in commercial buildings with a significant portion of these blazes occurring in the Bridgetown area.

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